Loading or unloading apparatus.



No. 729,150. PATENTED MAY 26, 1903. A. G. PLESHBR.

LOADING 0R UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION rzLnn r1212. 21. 1903-. no MODEL.

a sums-sum 1.'

No. 729,150. PATBNTED MAY 26,1903.

A. e. FLBSHER. I LOADING 0R UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1903- NO MODEL. 8 SHEETS-BKEET 2.

7 0 6 afkmum I PATBNTBD MAY 26, 1903.

A. G. PLBSHER. LOADING 0R UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H0 MODEL.

awwwboz Gum,

UNr'rnD STATES Patented May 26, 1903.

ANDREW G. FLESHER, OF TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS.

LOADING OR UNLOADING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,I50, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed February 21, 1903. Serial No. 144,426. (No model.)

To (0% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW G. FLESHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Taylorville, in the county of Christian and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Loading or Unloading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in apparatus for loading and unloading materials in bulk, and it is especially useful in the mining of coal and ore and removing the mined product in cages capable ofholding large amounts and automatically discharging the coal or other product at or above the surface of the ground into a conveniently-placed distributing-hopper, chute, or other receiver.

My invention comprises the employment of one or more cages and suitable guideways therefor in the shaft in which said cages are raised and lowered. Said cages are constructed for the reception of charges of coal or other material and capable of accommodating miners or persons whose duties require them to enter and leave the mine. 'Each cage is provided with means for efiecting the automatic discharge of the load at or above the surface of the ground, and said cage also has means for tripping a discharge-door of a supply-chute in the shaft at or near the bottom thereof, and which chute communicates with several entrances from the shaft into the mine,whereby the mined output of several entrances or leads may be delivered by the usual mine-cars into the loading chute or chutes. In addition to the foregoing provision is made in the form of a stairway for the miners leaving or entering the cage or cages, with inclined planes connecting upper and lower landings of the stairway and serving as a slide to facilitate the handling of track-irons, shafting, timbers, or other adjuncts of a mine.

My invention consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts, which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which similar characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures, Figure 1 is a part vertical section and a part elevation of the shaft and the loading and unloading devices. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 20 w of Fig." 1, showing the radiating entrances. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a cage, partially broken away. Fig. 4 is a view of the opposite side of the cage. Fig. 5 isa vertical sectional view of a supply-chute. Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view on the line co m of Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention I construct the shaft A of suitable vertical corner-timbers a, with cross-timbers Z2 connecting them at appropriate points to form a rigid and strong casing leading from a point above the surface of the ground to the bottom of the shaft proper, at which latter point there is a grating c of timbers, upon which the cage or cages rest while receiving their load. Below this grating is the pit for the sump and which also serves to collect the water seeping into the mine and which water may be discharged by any well-known pumping system. (Not shown.)

At suitable distances above the bottom of the shaft lead the entrances B to the mine, which entrances are herein shown as being four in number and extending radially from the shaft, and at one side is an approximately triangular pillar of coal or earth, as shown at (3, which supports the roof of the mine and other parts requiring secure support or braclng.

Two of the entrances are forked or diverge toward the shaft, and each of the aforesaid entrances is provided with incoming and outgoing tracks 2, leading from the shaft to the point beyond where the mining is being accomplished, and at which latter place the mined product is loaded into the mine-cars and transported to the shaft and delivered into appropriate chutes D D on opposite sides of the shaft, and the output of the four entrances may be delivered to two chutes by the simple arrangement of entrances shown, enabling me to greatly increase the output of the mine in a given time. The chutes D D' have floors 3 inclining downwardly, and said chutes have hinged doors or gates d d,which may be automatically released by the descending empty cage substantially in the following manner: As shown in Fig. 5, the gate d is hinged at its upper edge to the cage, and its lower edge is adapted to swing upwardly un- ISO der the influence of the weight of the coal acting on said gate. A second gate d, hinged at its lower edge and extending upwardly outside of and overlapping the first-named gate, has its axis provided with a pinion 4, which meshes with a gear-wheel 5, journaled on the side of the chute, said gear-wheel having a crank-pin 6, to which is connected one end of a link 7, whose opposite end is connected to a lever 8, fulcrumed on the framing of the shaft, having one end 1.0 extending into the shaft in the path of a stop on the cage, as I will hereinafter describe, said lever having its opposite end 12 weighted sufticiently'to cause the link to actuate the gear-wheel, and thus communicate motion to the pinion to close the gate as the cage removes its weight from the end 10 of the lever and to begin to ascend with its load. Each of the aforesaid gates d d has side flanges 13, such as are common in such gates, the said gate d when open forming a continuation of the inclined fioor of the supply-chute and the gate d being weighted, as at 14, to cause it to quickly close by gravity when the resistance of the passing coal is removed.

About the mouth of the supply-chute is a platform or landing D upon which the minecars are run from their tracks to the mouth.

of the chute, said platform having a dump at each side and in front, as at 16, and being of such width that the cars may be run thereon to transferthem from the incoming to the outgoing tracks, whereby the returning empty cars occupy one line of track and the loaded cars another line of track, thus enabling the quick and substantially continuous handling of the coal.

If desired, the dumping of the supply-chute may be efiected by hand, as well as automatically. Therefore I show the right-hand chute D in Fig. l as provided with the upwardly and downwardly swinging gates, the former of which has its upper free edge adapted to be secured by a vertically-sliding latch-bar 23, operating through appropriate guides 24 on the chute and connected with a fnlcrumed .lever 25, which may be grasped by an operator to lift the latch and release the gates and allow the charge of coal to discharge into the elevating-cage at that side.

In the present instance I employ two cages E, as I prefer to use a descending empty cage simultaneously with an ascending loaded ton-capacity cage the vertical height of the cage will be about sixteen and one-half feet,

of which about ten (10) feet is used for coalstorage purposes, while the remaining length is used to accommodate the men. The bottom of the coal-compartment is inclined to ward one side, and the top of this compartment is formed of a horizontal rigid member 27 and a horizontal door 28, forming an entrance to the coal-compartment, said door when closed resting upon a suitable stop 29 and said door and the member 27 forming a platform upon which the men stand when entering or leaving the mine. The portion of the cage above this platform is open; but corner posts or pieces 30 support a roof 31, which protects the men from the danger of material falling from above and also serves to attach the four chains 32, to which the hoisting-cable is attached, this cable passing over a pulley or sheave 33 at the top of the shaft and thence running to the winding mechanism (not shown) in the usual or any well-known manner.

Two of'the chains herein shown are made longer than-the others, so that the center of pull will come in the centerof gravity of the load, which center is slightly to one side of the true vertical center of the cage-a variation due to the inclination of the floor ofthe coal-compartment. In the front of the cage is a suitable door 35, preferably the full width of the cage and, say, three or four feet high. On the outside bottom portion of this door is a transverse bar 36, the ends of which extend beyond the vertical plane of the sides of the cage and are engaged by the hook-shaped ends 37 of appropriate spring-pressed catches 38, pivoted on the sides of the cage and when lifted adapted to release the bar 36, allowing the door to swing outward to discharge the coal into a hopperor bin or other receiver 40, from whence it is distributed in any suitable manner. The car is also provided with suitable shoes or guides 41, which slidably fit the vertical guides 42 in the shaft in the wellknown manner, and on one side of the cage is a sliding bar 43 with an enlarged head or stud 44, which when pulled out, as when the empty cage is about to descend, lies in the path of the short arm 10 of the lever Son the supply-chute, whereby said stud 44 rocks said lever and causes the gear 5 and pinion 4 to open the supply-gates, as before described.

When the sliding bar is pushed in, the stud or head 44 lies at one side of the lnner end of the lever 8, and therefore does not trip the lever, which action should be guarded against when the men are descending with the cage, as at that time the opening through which the coal is admitted to the coal-compartment is closed, and its controlling-door is used as the platform for the men to stand upon. When the sliding bolt is pulled outward its end fits into a socket 45,.which resists the strain put upon the bolt when striking the lever of the supply-chute. Further than this, I prefer to make the bottom e of the cage, the

' Then the cage is hoisted and dumped, as before described.

The dumping of the cage is effected-substantially as follows: In the shaft are two hinged usual stops or boards g, connected by links or rods h to crank-pins 2' of a disk Z, operated by a suitable rod m, which when pulled upon draws the hinged stops inward at an angle, as shown in Fig. 4. This opera tion occurs when the bottom of the cage reaches a point just above the plane of the top edge of the boards, and when the stops are drawn in, as described, they lie in the vertical plane of the vertical extension at of the pivoted spring-pressed catches 3S, and when the hauling-cable is relaxed to allow the cage to descend slightly these vertical extensions n strike the top edges of the hinged stops, and the catches are lifted to release their hook-shaped ends from engage-' ment with the latch-bar 36 on the dischargegate of the cage, thus allowing the cage to dump its load. Before the cage is allowed to descend the hinged stops are pushed out of the way by the rod m, so that they will not be struck by the cage.

An appropriate guard-rail G may surround the upper landing of the stairway leading from the cage to the entrances to the shaft, and suitable sliding or other doors 0 may be used at the lower landing of the stairway to cut off the stairway from the shaft, if desired for any purpose.

The stairway S,upon which the miners enter and leave the cage, is shown in Fig. 6 as extending from the sliding doors 0 to the upper landing, which is about on a level with the floor of the entrances. Upon each side of the stairway is a smooth inclined portion 9', one leading to each side of the shaft substantially in line with the cage when at the bottom of the shaft. These inclined surfaces form chutes which enable heavy timbers, track-irons, and like materials used in mines to he quickly handled by the men.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a system for loading and unloading coal and the like, the combination of a shaft, hoisting-cages adapted to operate in the shaft and having gate-controlled outlets, said cages having horizontal supply-doors forming the entrance to the coal-compartment, and also serving as the floor of an upper compartment, supply-chutes having gate-controlled outlets, and a plurality of radial mine-entrances connecting with the chutes; means for releasing the gates to enable the chutes to deliver their contents into the cages; and means for releasing the gates of the cages to permit the discharge of the loaded product.

2. In a system for loading and unloading coal, the combination of a shaft; radial entrances leading thereto from four sides and means whereby the output of the entrances is delivered to opposite sides of the shaft; supply chutes at opposite sides of the shaft, having gate controlled discharges; elevatingcages having coal compartments with inclined floors, and horizontal platforms with door-sections to admit coal from the supplychutes, said cages having gate-controlled outlets; and means for releasing the gates of the cages to discharge the load.

3. In a system for loading and unloading coal, a shaft, and mine-entrances radiating from four sides thereof two of said entrances forked or diverging toward the shaft; platforms at the mouths of the entrances having dumps at the sides and front, said platforms serving to transfer the mine-cars from incoming to outgoing tracks; supply-chutes at opposite sides of the shaft and receiving the output of the entrances, said chutes having gates controlling their discharges; elevatingcages in the shaft having coal-compartments with inclined floors and gate-controlled outlets; means on the cages for automatically tripping the gates of the supply-chutes to allow the charge of coal to enter the cages; and means above the ground for effecting the discharge of the loaded cages.

4. In an apparatus for loading and unloading coal and like material, a shaft; mine-entrances radiating therefrom; a supply-chute for receiving the output of the entrances said chute having a hinged gate adapted to form an extended discharge-throat of the chute; a

. pinion on the axis of the gate and a gear-wheel,

meshing therewith; a weighted lever fulcrumed in the shaft having one end projecting into the path of movement of the elevating-cage and adapted to be struck by the cage; a link connecting the lever with the gearwheel whereby the gate is opened by the cage rocking the lever about its fulcrum in one direction; an elevating-cage having a coal-compartment and door-controlled inlet thereto to be alined with the throat of the chute when the gate thereof is open; a gate controlling the discharge of the cage; means for latching said gate; and means for releasing the latch to allow the load to be discharged.

5. In an apparatus for loading and unloading coal and like material, the combination of a shaft having guides and a cage operating in the shaft and including a coal-compartment having an inclined floor; a horizontal platform above the floor and consisting of a fixed member and a hinged section forming a door which controls the inlet to the compartment; a roof supported above the plat- &

partment for persons entering or leaving the shaft; means suspending the roof from above; a hinged door controlling the discharge from the coal-compartment; means for latching this door; and means for releasing the door to allow the load to be discharged.

6. In an apparatus for loading and unloading coal and like material, an elevating-cage having a horizontal platform dividing it into two compartments, one of said compartments adapted to receive the coal and having an inclined bottom and the upper compartment having a protecting-roof, said platform having a hinged section which controls the inlet to the coal-compartment; a hinged door controlling the discharge of the coal-compartment; spring-pressed hook members on the cage adapted to latch said door; and devices in the shaft for tripping the latch and allowing the door to open to discharge the load.

7. In an apparatus forloading and unloading coal and like material, a shaft, an elevating-cage having acoal-compartment with inclined floor and hinged discharge-gate, said gate having lateral projections from its lower portion; a horizontal platform having an inlet for the coal said inlet controlled by a hinged door; spring-pressed catches on the sides of the cage and having hook-shaped ends to latch with the lateral projections on the discharge-door, said catches having depending extensions; and stops in the shaft movable into the path of a loaded cage and adapted to be struck by the depending extensions of the catches to lift the hook-shaped ends thereofout of engagement with the discharge door of the cage.

8. In an apparatus for loading and unloading, a cage having an interior compartment and door-controlled discharge, said cage having an inwardly-opening valve in its bottom to allow water to enter the compartment.

9. In an apparatus for loading and unloading, a cage having a slidably-mounted bar; a supply-chute having a controlling-gate; a lever and means connecting the same with the gate said lever having a trip end disposed in the path of movement of the bar when the latter is in one position and out of the path of the bar when the latter is in a second position.

10. In a system for loading and unloading coal and like material, a shaft; mine -entrances leading therefrom; a stairway leading from the bottom of the shaft to the level of the entrances; an inclined plane alongside of the stairway forming a chute for mine accessories; and doors interposed between the stairway and the shaft-entrance.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW G. FLESHER.

Witnesses:

T. W. FOWLER, CHAPMAN W. FOWLER. 

